Josh Dugan has backed his successor in the NSW No.1 jersey Matt Moylan to give Queensland plenty of headaches on his State of Origin debut.
Moylan takes over at the back from Dugan for the Blues in game one in Sydney on Wednesday.
Dugan was initially chosen at centre but ruled out of the match on Sunday due to an elbow injury, with Josh Morris coming in for him.
But in the time they had together at NSW training, St George Illawarra star Dugan was very impressed with what he saw from Moylan.
"He has some really silky hands and some great vision, you can see why 'Loz' (NSW coach Laurie Daley) has picked him," Dugan said.
"He deserves his spot, he has been playing some great footy at club level for a while and gets his chance now.
"He was here with the squad last year so he knew what to expect, the boys welcomed him with open arms and I know he will be ready to go."
Dugan said he had spoken with Moylan, whose skills have been likened to those of Queensland great Darren Lockyer, about what to expect in Origin and from the Maroons kicking game.
"We have had a bit of a chat and looked at some of the vision of the way Queensland did things last year and I helped him the best I could," Dugan said.
"He is a great player and he is that ball playing fullback and one of the best in the game at the moment. He will be fine."
New Blues halfback Adam Reynolds said he was looking forward to forging an onfield partnership with Moylan.
"He is a world class player and he has shown that class over the last few years," Reynolds told AAP.
"He has a very level head on his shoulders and he looks as though he gets around the field easy.
"I have been lucky enough to play with him for City, he is so calm and cool and an all round great player."
Coach Kevin Waltes said the Maroons were wary of what Moylan could bring to the Blues side.
"We have spoken about his inclusion into the side, he brings a different dimension to their attack, you would expect him to make the transition pretty smoothly," Walter said.
"He is certainly one player we have some concerns about."
Share
